Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Great Moments In Brian-Roberts-To-Cubs-Trade-Rumor History

Roberts Rumor Process "The first test of Andy MacPhail's authority as Orioles president of baseball operations will come if a rival club makes a strong push to acquire second baseman Brian Roberts.

"A year ago, Orioles owner Peter Angelos refused to allow his previous front office to trade Roberts...Orioles executives, however, say privately that they are not under orders to keep Roberts.

"The Mets and Astros were among the teams that showed interest in Roberts before signing free-agent second basemen Luis Castillo and Kaz Matsui, respectively.

"The next team to take a run at Roberts could be the Cubs, who failed to land Matsui."

-- FoxSports.com, 12/3/07

 

"The Cubs and Baltimore Orioles have talked about a possible deal for switch-hitting second baseman Brian Roberts, who could move into the No. 2 spot in the lineup and provide some much needed speed. Reports that the Cubs were trading Rich Hill to the Orioles for Roberts were denied by team officials.

"'Anybody who can hit left-handed and run and play the middle of the infield, we would certainly still look into,' Hendry said."

-- Cubs.com, 12/6/07

 

"On hold over much of the last month, the Brian Roberts talks are on again between the Cubs and Baltimore Orioles. This deal almost certainly is going to happen--the only question is when and how much it's going to cost the Cubs."

-- Chicago Tribune, 1/10/08

 

"Are the Cubs still pursuing Brian Roberts or were they scared off by the steroids? He is exactly what they need to make a strong challenge (apart from a center fielder who can hit). Roberts can lead off, steal, hit for average and field. They should have enough pitchers to make the deal happen." . . . Dan W., Naples, Fla.

"The Cubs and Orioles are still talking, but some of the players mentioned recently are not involved, so don't believe the rumors. Keep in mind that Roberts is a favorite of Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who blocked a trade last year that involved the second baseman. The Mitchell Report revelations are not the holdup--it's just a matter of finding the right match for both teams, and the reports out of Baltimore are that Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail has very specific requests."

-- Cubs.com, 1/14/08

 

"Contrary to popular belief, knowledgeable Cubs sources say the two teams have not gotten serious about discussing specific players the Orioles would want for Roberts.

"It's highly unlikely the Cubs will trade center-field prospect Felix Pie or former top draft pick Tyler Colvin for Roberts. But a package possibly involving pitcher Sean Marshall or Sean Gallagher plus another player seems more in the ballpark.

"During the Cubs Convention last month, manager Lou Piniella said he didn't believe the Cubs would get Roberts. Piniella also expressed his pleasure with incumbent second baseman Mark DeRosa, who would be moved to a super-utility role if Roberts comes to Chicago.

"At this point, Hendry also seems resigned to moving on without Roberts if he and MacPhail can't agree on a deal."

-- Daily Herald, 2/8/08

 

"There is now a feeling in Orioles land that Angelos may be balking at the negotiated haul for Roberts, which according to sources, is a very fair three-player package of young pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton and infielder Ronny Cedeno. There is also a sense that Angelos has an unreasonable attachment to Roberts, who may well remind the owner of himself: a little guy who's scrapped his way to the top of his profession (no, not baseball; Angelos is at the top of the legal profession, at least in terms of dollars earned)."

-- si.com, 2/11/08

 

"MacPhail said more than one team has shown interest in trading for Roberts, though the Cubs are believed to be the most aggressive suitor. Roberts called the Cubs 'a great organization' and said Chicago would be a fun place to play. Roberts attended a 2003 National League Championship Series game between the Cubs and Florida Marlins as a guest of former teammate Jeff Conine and said he was amazed at the electric atmosphere at Wrigley Field."

-- Baltimore Sun, 2/20/08

 

MESA, Ariz. - The Cubs still hope to acquire second baseman Brian Roberts and an outfielder before the end of spring training, but general manager Jim Hendry shot down Internet and radio rumors that a trade is imminent.

"There have been no active talks in any trade situation in the last five or six days," Hendry said.

-- Chicago Tribune, 3/5/08

 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Orioles and Chicago Cubs have not had any recent discussions about All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts, pushing the potential deal toward Opening Day or beyond.

The talks have stalled while scouts from the teams evaluate players on each other's roster. The Cubs, who are looking for a leadoff hitter to set up the middle of their lineup, have had at least one scout at every game Roberts has played this spring. Dave Engle, one of the Orioles' top scouts, went to Mesa, Ariz., to observe several of the Cubs' prospects.

"Our scouts are out and about doing their due diligence and watching the teams that they should be watching," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said.

Asked whether he feels compelled to make a decision on the status of Roberts by a certain date, MacPhail said, "I'm not a big one on drop-dead dates."

-- Baltimore Sun, 3/8/08

 

"Sources confirmed Thursday that the Cubs have a four-player offer for Roberts on the table that includes the addition of hard-throwing pitching prospect Jose Ceda. Infielder Ronny Cedeno and pitchers Sean Gallagher and Donnie Veal also are in the package.

"The Cubs and Baltimore Orioles talked again during the past week, and insiders in both camps have expressed strong feelings that a deal will get done for the All-Star second baseman. However, they consider it likely to take an 11th-hour agreement before the openers on March 31.

"It's also possible the deal could grow to include pitcher Jason Marquis going to Baltimore and outfielder Jay Payton coming to the Cubs in a 5-for-2 or 6-for-2 trade that likely would include cash."

-- Chicago Sun-Times, 3/14/08

 

"There have been no significant developments over the past week or two, and the time left for getting the deal done during spring training is growing short. The Orioles aren't fettered by any hard-and-fast limits on when they can act, but you can bet both teams would like to reach some semblance of roster certainty over the next 10 days.

"Does that mean a deal is imminent? No. It probably means that if the Cubs do not show a sense of urgency during the next week or so, this could stretch well into the season and the chemistry of the situation could change dramatically..."

-- Baltimore Sun, 3/15/08

 

"Can we please overpay for Chone Figgins and forget about Baltimore already?"

-- Cubster, The Cub Reporter, 3/15/08

 

 

 

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Dr. aaron b

No, not really. He played there exclusivley for his first three minor league seasons, posting fielding percentages of .867, .947, and .925 (the latter was a full 122 game season at High A). He was switched to second base to start the 2000 season and played mostly at second with a few games at short and third mixed in as he moved his way up the ladder. He played the outfield for the first time in 2003, at both AAA and in the majors - where he had a combined fielding percentage of 1.000 at the position. This included 40 games worth of innings for the Angels. In 2004 he played mostly 3B (92 games) but also played a lot of OF (57 games), as well as 2B and SS - all for the big league team. He's done much the same since, splitting time between a variety of positions. I would say he would be worse at short than DeRosa would be (who has much more experience), but Figgins would be much better at oufield than DeRosa is, with the added ability to play center. So as part of a late inning switch or something you could put either DeRosa or Figgins at short, and I'm sure they'd do fine, but neither should be your starting SS for the season.

I have this bad feeling this year will be 1985 redux. We'll deal away all of our pitching depth to get Brian Roberts and on June 1, four of our five starters will be on the DL. Then we'll be forced to send out to the mound guys like Jay Baller and Steve Engel. Seriously, I'd like to have Roberts. Every year we've had a top notch lead-off hitter, we've won. Dernier, Walton, Lance Johnson, Lofton...But McFail wants our top three pitching prospects plus Cedeno? Walk away, Hendry!

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I just did a side-by-side comparison of the 1989 to the 1990 team. The offense actually did better in 1990. The only two positions that regressed were LF and CF where Dwight Smith and Jerome Walton tanked. But other than that Grace had similar seasons, and Girardi did in 1990 what Berryhill did in 1989, and the rest improved. Sandberg, Dunston, and Dawson had huge seasons in 1990 over 1989 (in fact all 3 were All-Stars) and Luis Salazar put up better production than Vance Law did at third. The bench was a bit weaker in 1990, but the real story, not suprisingly was pitching. Maddux did worse, Sutcliffe was injured the entire year, Bielecki turned to crap, and the bullpen was horrid. In 1989 the bullpen had ERAs of 1.36, 1.77, 2.76, 3.77, 3.78, and 4.20. Compare that to 1990 - 2.80, 3.93, 4.37, 4.62, 4.79, and 6.53.

According to todays Sun Times- "The need for another outfielder has become so great, manager Lou Piniella will give right fielder Kosuke Fukudome some looks in center this week. ''One thing we don't have here is a backup center fielder,'' Piniella said. ''I said we weren't going to keep both young center fielders [Felix Pie and Sam Fuld] here. I'm going to have to play Fukudome in center a little bit this week.'' Fukudome has made it clear to Piniella he prefers right field. How did he react to the news Sunday? ''If they tell me to play center field, I'll play center field,'' Fukudome said through an interpreter. ''I played center field a full season in Japan. I have played more in right field, but I can play either position. It shouldn't be a problem.'' Piniella stressed that Fukudome is simply an insurance policy for center" No word if Fukudome can play SS. :-)

[ ]

In reply to by jacos

Fukodome CAN play SS, yes? Isn't that his original position before moving to 3B, before moving to RF? I remember reading about Fukodome attributing his offensive improvement to his move to the outfield, so I doubt he's interested in moving back to SS, nor do I imagine he'd be very good. Can you imagine Fukodome at SS and Soriano at 2B? How high would the infield grass get?

[ ]

In reply to by Romero

How high would the infield grass get?
covering ground wouldn't be the problem, but Derrek would need a fishing net to grab the throws and fans behind first base would be required to wearing catching gear.

can really be said about this Roberts' deal? And what else needs to be figured out? If we acquire him, we'll get a decent OBP and high steals guy that will shake up the lineup and provide adequate to above average defense. If we don't, we keep our three best pitching prospects and cover our asses over the fact that we didn't upgrade the pitching AT ALL over the winter. It's a tossup in my mind, although the fact that we keep adding talent to the deal is discouraging. Just DECIDE already.

Catcher ...Soto is an upgrade over the crap we fielded last year, Blanco is back 1B... DLee is healthier SS... Theriot is an upgrade over the committee that played SS last year (believe it or not!) LF... Soriano's legs are healthier CF... Pie in center = more power, more production, not necessarily more BA Closer....Wood, Marmol, Howry ..take your pick they're better than Dempster Back of the SP staff.... is three deep at #5

[ ]

In reply to by mannytrillo

It's alway THE TICKETS with you. Well, if you actually look at what I'm saying, you'll notice that 1) RF is not an upgrade 2) a lot of the reason we look better this year is our players are healthier* 3) the other primary reason we're better is we were really lousy up the middle last year which means Soto, Pie and Theriot are actually upgrades even if they're below average. 4) closer is better due to addition by subtraction *at the moment, give or take a twisted testicle

Not to mention throwing 1 guy out there for 162 games of consistency than throwing 3 guys out there. I don't care what 3 guys could do in one position, I want to know what 1 person can do with a postion. And in that regard he is a huge upgrade. Using the arguement of well "All Cubs RFers hit this..." is a poor way to compare something.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

6 keepers/25-man roster....you draft your keepers based off their point value from the year before. It's a 16-team league, so if your top keeper had the 20th most points the previous year, you'd draft him with your 2nd pick. If you have multiple keepers in the same round, they just drop to the subsequent rounds. We factor in some defense (assists, errors, outfield assists), so infielders get a little boost over outfielders. The trade was:
Pujols, Kent, Hochevar for Sizemore, Kelly Johnson and Gil Meche
we already had our draft, but Pujols was a first round keeper, Sizemore was a 4th. The rest were drafted this year in various rounds. I actually had a pick in the first round (my keepers went from 2-6 and Round 25) and took Johnson (highest projected VORP for a position player out of players not on anyone's keeper list), but I have O-dawg  and got Kent back.
My starting pitching consists of Liriano, Zito, Bonderman and Slowey right now. And I guess Hochevar...but not sure he'll make the team. I also grabbed Carpenter late and will move him to the DL and grab someone else.

Hendry is in a trick bag when it comes to Roberts. He knows that Roberts is exactly the player he needs to help manufacture runs during the inordinate number of home games scheduled for the cold-weather months of April and May. But McPhail knows this too, and since he is in a re-buildiong mode, he can wait and leverage the situation in hopes that Hendry will overpay. Cedeno is not helping matters any, as Orioles scouts were probably holding their noses watching Cedeno hit even before he tweaked a hammy. Meanwhile, in Orioles camp, SS Branden Fahey is hitting .300, and a NRI named Oscar Salazar is hitting .308 with a SLG of .538. So Hendry is running out of time and whatever negotiating leverage he had is disappearing fast.

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

"That is why MLB has parody, because the Marlins and the Yankees, " "How is that relevant to a discussion on whether or not salary caps in fantasy baseball are realistic?" It's not every day that someone brings up something and then asks someone else to answer why he brought it up. I suggest you answer your own question. If you have two options, one where players are signed to contracts and after the contracts expire go back into the pool for bidding on the open market, and one where players are drafted and stay with that team until the owner has no use for them (how many times has A-Rod been available?), which one more closely mirrors managing a big league roster? Which is sort of the point of fantasy baseball for most people. Run your league anyway you want, I merely asked a question then Rob made a bitchy remark and Carlos followed up with a sort of silly one. Why anyone is taking offense is beyond me.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

It's not every day that someone brings up something and then asks someone else to answer why he brought it up.
Still trying to figure out what winning the World Series has to do with this. I brought up the Yankees and Marlins because of the extreme differences in their payrolls. Not because one team was winning and one wasn't. So again... what does winning (or not winning) the World Series have to do with whether or not salary caps in fantasy baseball are realistic?

[ ]

In reply to by big_lowitzki

Parody in professional sports is generally determined by a team in any market being able to win the championship. That's what MLB has. Arguing that draft parody is more realistic than 'salary cap' salary makes no sense. GM's do bid on players. They only draft American amateurs. If you were a major league GM, your boss or bosses would give you some sort of budget for a payroll. Within the constraints of that budget, in general, you could build a roster that suits you're style as a GM. In leagues where players are auctioned rather than drafted you have the ability to better sculpt the roster style that you want. You can have a 'top heavy' or an evenly distributed roster. This adds realism. In Fantasy leagues, typically you're going to 'even the playing field' by giving all the GM's the same salary cap or the same number of draft picks in each round, but neither of those things are strictly necessary. A big part of that is determined by what your winning conditions are. It wouldn't be impossible, or even unheard of to say 'OK, you're Cincinatti and you have to do these things to win' similar to a game of Axis and Allies. Some guy starts out as Germany and some guy starts out as Britian but no one says 'we need parody'.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Except the league began on equal footing. I didn't draft Pujols, I traded for him 2 seasons back when his stock was low. I drafted Hanley prior to his rookie year. A keeper league is about anticipating value; buying and selling low and high respectively. I don't have apologize for have a strong team, because I built it strong. REAL baseball is unbalanced because salaries as well as management varies. In a fantasy league only management varies. Everyone (other than draft pick arrangement...I, personally, have never been higher than midway up the draft order) has equal opportunity to trade for/ draft / pick off waivers the same players. Yes, certain players become free agents in REAL baseball, but that increasingly is not the case. Teams lock their players prior to free agency. If the Yankees really wanted to they could have resigned ARod before any other offers were made. With that said, what's going on with Brian Roberts?

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

Don't you guys lose a team or two ever year? Of your original 16 teams how many are still around. Of those where did they finish last year? I wonder if maybe you're deluding yourselves into thinking you've got more parody than you really do. It seems Rob G puts up a post every year about filling a couple of spots.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

Rob can remember better than I can, because he dealt with replacements, but no, the teams who finished at the bottom of the standings tend to be the inevitable teams in every league who fail to update their teams: trade, pick up free agents, set lineups, which, yes, is detrimental to the team's scoring.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

I wonder if maybe you're deluding yourselves into thinking you've got more parity than you really do. It seems Rob G puts up a post every year about filling a couple of spots. This is our third year of existence, we lost three the first year and two last year. We contracted one team the first year too, as 17 was too much. I think Joe jumped from 8th to 1st in one year. Carlos took over a team and went from like 15th to 6th without a 3bman all year :) We've had little problem filling empty spots and one reason is because of our keeper system. I can show someone the crappy team they're taking over, but usually they do have at least 6 decent players worth keeping. They guy who took over the 2nd worst team this season had Rollins, Cano, Hunter, Crawford, Carmona and Pence as his keepers.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

"Parody in professional sports is generally determined by a team in any market being able to win the championship. That's what MLB has." Really? You think that because a team is ALLOWED to go out and spend money in order to improve themselves, that creates parity? It doesn't. The NFL has parity. The NBA has parity. MLB does not.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

By most measures, the NFL is the healthiest of all professional sports. They attribute it to the fact that the salary cap keeps teams closer to one another in terms of ability to put together quality teams. the disparity between the best team and the worst is far less than in baseball. A team that will only spend 30 million on their payroll will have a very difficult time competing with a team that spends 200 million. Are there exceptions? Sure. But over 5 years, the team with the 200 million dollar payroll is going to win WAY more games and see the post season way more times.

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

On the other hand, a lot of those low salary teams are self imposed. The Marlins are making money, the Pirates are making money and I suspect the Royals and Rays are making money. If those teams wanted to tack on $30 million to their payrolls they'd probably be competitive. As the Cards showed in 2006, you don't have to be a particuarly good team to win he WS. For every KC Royals there is a Detroit Lions and a LA Clipppers. The NFL and NBA have a lot of salary tomfoolery that goes on which makes their 'hard caps' not quite what they want you to think they are. Take a look at the Suns' roster, for instance.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

"Why anyone is taking offense is beyond me." Rob's "bitchy" remark: "Yeah, thanks for the insight, we all seem happy with the league though. Best of luck in yours...' Real Neal's retort: "Midol works wonders for that," followed by "You must be on the same cycle as Rob G." Douchebag advantage: Real Neal

[ ]

In reply to by T-Dubs

Hehe... nice catch. That is what happens why I try write fast comments at the end of a work day.

[ ]

In reply to by The Real Neal

with 16 teams and 6 keepers it evens out a bit. you can pretty much count on 3/4-4/5+ of the "top100" talent being spoken for and distributed out. some of the top100 doesnt really work with the league as defined since SB and "plain avg" arent as strong of a pull. the top "free agents" of the draft included guys like brad hawpe, jim thome, kelly johnson, and dan uggla.

big_lowitzki: Well... offensively, I am not sure that Fukudome is an upgrade in RF. He could be, but I don't think it is a forgone conclusion. I'm convinced Fuku may or may not outperform Jacque Jones this year, but that isn't the point. The point is over the course of the next 3 to 4 years Fuku will most definitely outperform Jones. Then there's Fuku's defense and arm.

[ ]

In reply to by Chad

Thanks. For those of you interested (probably not many), here is the lowdown on Doug Dascenzo's illustrious career. Overall he faced 18 batters, giving up just 3 singles and a walk, while striking out two swinging and enducing two inning ending double plays. Among his victims were Barry Bonds and Gary Carter. June 12, 1990 in a 19-8 loss to the Mets Entered in the 9th inning - Howard Johnson lined out to center - Dave Magadan singled to right - Tim Teufel grounds into a 6-4-3 double play June 10, 1991 in a 13-5 loss to the Dodgers Entered in the 8th inning - Gary Carter ground out to short - Stan Javier flyout to RF - Mike Sharperson flyout to CF 9th Inning - Mike Scioscia walked - Alfredo Griffin grounds into fielders choice third to second - Mike Hartley (P) grounds into 6-4-3 double play June 28, 1991 in a 14-6 loss to the Cardinals Entered in the 9th inning - Felix Jose popped foul to catcher - Milt Thompson grounded out to second - Tom Pagnozzi bloop single over second - Jose Oquendo walked - Willie Fraser (P) struck out swinging July 2, 1991 in a 13-4 loss to the Pirates Entered in the 9th inning - Bobby Bonilla line single to center - Barry Bonds flies out to left field - Joe Redfield strikes out swinging - Mike LaValliere flies out to left

"You guys have a keeper league without salaries?" "Well, I one of you guys would have to do the bold step of creating a 'spreadsheet' and keeping track of the salaries." "Well, the Marlins have won the World Series more recently than the Yankees and every GM has to operate with salary restrictions.... but I guess you already knew that and are just on the same cycle as Rob G." "It's not every day that someone brings up something and then asks someone else to answer why he brought it up. I suggest you answer your own question." People are taking offense because you're coming off as a bit douchey. Your beliefs are the best way to do things and why anyone would do something differently is beyond you. You weren't offering friendly advice, you were offering irrelevant examples to let us know that our system is flawed.

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

"You guys have a keeper league without salaries?" There was no hidden agenda here, I just never heard of a system like that in fantasy baseball. "Salaries + Yahoo! League = does not compute." "Well, I one of you guys would have to do the bold step of creating a 'spreadsheet' and keeping track of the salaries." I guess this was mildly sarcastic, because in all likelyhood you already have a spreadsheet. Make a spreadsheet, keep the salaries, have some sort of contract system, use a payroll, enter the players into Yahoo after the auction. Typically this is the way 'keeper' baseball leagues are done, in my experience. This is also closer to how MLB GM's have to do their job than having a yearly expansion draft, which is essentially what you guys are doing. Undoubtedly there's a balance between competition, reality and ease of use that each league needs to strike. "People are taking offense because you're coming off as a bit douchey." Rob G, Mr Holier than Thou, was happy to toss in a douchey comment all of his own, but where's the criticism for him?

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

I am well aware of my "reputation", some of it is deserved and some of it is perpetuated by some and unfair in my opinion. But I suggest you might need to take a look in the mirror, and not throw stones from your glass house. You do come off holy than now and love to throw little jabs at people for no reason, but you seem delusional of it. That is why I constantly bring it up. Maybe it is mainly directed toward me or a selected few, but either way it is not needed. Whatever... Can we get Opening Day here already? Go Cubs!!

[ ]

In reply to by mannytrillo

"I was not involved in the conversation, but you bring me into it. Same goes for The Real Neal. There is no need for it." The following comment is not intended as derrogatory towards any current TCR poster. Truly. Manny, like it or not, you have achieved a status as a certain type of personality around here. So have some other posters, such as Chad, crunch, neal, etc. Silent Towel reached a level all his own. Now, when he is referred to, most of us know what the reference is about. I don't compare you to good ol' ST -- he was a singular personality -- but you (and some others) HAVE acheived your own particular kind of fame. And I'm fine with all of that. It keeps things interesting around here. Fwiw.

[ ]

In reply to by mannytrillo

Why don't you start by telling me you will stop calling me out for no reason. That would be a good start. I was not involved in the conversation, but you bring me into it. Manny NEVER calls out anyone unprovoked. I'm sure the comments Manny had about John Hill a week or two ago were only because John Hill had said something recently to provoke him. Manny is always the victim, and if he is caught red handed throwing a stone from a glass house, its only because someone else has done it first.

I'm suprised they didn't have a round of roster cuts today...maybe tomorrow.

Wow a page 2!!! I think we need a group hug.

I am in awe of the crapticity of tonights chat! I can only express myself through poetry. Home surfing the 'Net TCR offers no love Just pain and sadness The theme of the day: "Don't take this personally But you are a dick" If this continues I will have to leave my house And make some new friends

BTW:If anyone in the Yahoo League would like to trade me any of the following mentioned above please make an offer. Brad Hawpe: .291/.387/.539. 29HR, 116RBI Kelly Johnson: .276/.375/.457, 16HR, 68 RBI Jim Thome: .275/.410/.563, 35HR, 96RBI I drafted Dan Uggla .245/.326/.479, 31HR, 88RBI These are not necessarily the cream of the crop, but they are hardly the bottom of the barrel either.

Recent comments

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    That’s a fantastic deal for SF

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

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    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?